Where is Apple Intelligence? Craig Federighi opens up about delay in rollout

Federighi said that while most AI models send every prompt to cloud servers, Apple prioritises privacy by running AI models directly on the device. The Apple executive said that it will use encrypted cloud-based models called ‘private cloud compute’ only when additional computational power is required.

“When you ask to summarise a long email, it’s encrypted to a trusted device in the cloud that performs AI processing and returns the result. The important part is that Apple has no access to that email, and it’s gone once the process is complete,” he said.

With this privacy-first approach, Apple is looking to set itself apart from competitors who centralise user data to refine their AI models. “For many companies, the answer is, ‘Send us all your data, store it with us in a way that we can read and process it.’ But as a user, you’re not quite sure—is that all they’re going to do with it?” Federighi said.

In the interview, Federighi shared insights into the company’s AI ambitions and revealed some details about how the smartphone giant is cruising through the wave of AI innovation while maintaining an emphasis on privacy.

In the last two years, Apple’s tech rivals have rushed to roll out generative AI solutions in a variety of products. However, Apple has been taking a slower and more methodical approach. Federighi asserted the company’s commitment to getting AI right. “This is a many-year, honestly even decades-long arc of this technology playing out, and we’re going to do it responsibly,” he said.

However, Apple’s decision to roll out its AI features in a phased manner could also be attributed to regulatory hurdles in the European Union (EU) and other regions. Apple is said to be rolling out Apple Intelligence features later this month with the release of its iOS 18.1. Apple Intelligence will be limited to iPhone 15 Pro models and all iPhone 16 models, and it will eventually be supported by Macs and iPads. “You could put something out there and have it be sort of a mess…But Apple’s point of view is more like, let’s try to get each piece right and release it when it’s ready,” Federighi said.

AI updates to Siri, which has been around for over 13 years, is among the most eagerly awaited changes among Apple users. During the interview, Federighi said that integration of Apple Intelligence will considerably expand its capacities. “The great news is that Siri is useful today and has been for many people for years, but it’s getting more and more useful. This power of Apple Intelligence and large language models means that Siri can understand you better than ever before,” he added.

Federighi said that Siri will be able to answer more complex questions based on a user’s calendar, messages, and other contextual information while maintaining privacy. “We’ve created this foundation that understands personal context and the ability to take action, and Siri is adopting that in stages.”It needs to be noted that Apple’s cautious AI adoption does not spell sudden transformation. Federighi stressed, “Is there going to be one moment where we say Siri is now my sentient pal? No. It’s going to continue to get better and better.”

On AI-powered features to improve user experience, Federighi talked about the ‘Cleanup’ feature that lets users edit photos by removing unwanted elements. Another AI feature, ‘Notification Summaries,’ has been designed to help users manage their daily notifications. It can even summarise routine notifications, such as garage door alerts, while avoiding sensitive messages like breakups or disputes.

However, Federighi acknowledged that AI-generated summaries of sensitive messages can sometimes seem a bit dry: “There was a story recently about someone who got broken up with, and it (AI) gave a very sort of clinical description of what had happened.”